Bethanie council workers cleared: appeal planned

THE Bethanie Village Council has lodged an appeal with the Ministry of Regional and Local Government against the outcome of a disciplinary hearing that found three council employees not guilty of misappropriating council funds.

The hearing was held in April by officials from the office of the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary. It found Willem Rooi, Marenda Boois and Marcelle Pienaar not guilty of embezzling N$640 000 through fraudulent advances, overtime and travel allowances.However, the three might still face criminal charges related to the alleged embezzlement.According to their legal representative, SC Garbers of Garbers Associates Legal Practitioners, the Police have forwarded the docket to the Attorney General’s office for a decision on whether to prosecute them.The Chairman of the disciplinary hearing, George Kamseb, blamed a chaotic bookkeeping system for the three employees being “wrongly accused of embezzling council funds”.Former Village Secretary Ronald Windswaai’s failure to manage the council’s administrative and financial affairs in an organised manner was also to blame, Kamseb said.The Bethanie Village Council suspended Windswaai after he failed to account for a payment of N$643 235,35 that he had authorised.Windswaai was also accused of forging the signature of clerk Marenda Boois to make two payments for subsistence and travel allowances to the tune of N$19 028 and N$10 542,30.It is also alleged that the Secretary forged a signature on two cheques for N$29 000, misappropriated over N$1,3 million intended for the development of the village, paid close to N$11 000 for unspecified services and misled the Council into buying a vehicle that was not roadworthy.Windswaai was also accused of allegedly using around N$1,3 million to pay salaries, allowances and other “unnecessary expenses” and that he have gave himself advances, overtime and subsistence and travel allowances amounting to more than N$342 000.Windswaai did not appear before the disciplinary hearing with the other three, because he reached an out-of-court settlement with the council at a previous disciplinary hearing.It was decided that Windswaai resign, reimburse all money he had received and that the council reserved the right to charge him criminally.It found Willem Rooi, Marenda Boois and Marcelle Pienaar not guilty of embezzling N$640 000 through fraudulent advances, overtime and travel allowances.However, the three might still face criminal charges related to the alleged embezzlement.According to their legal representative, SC Garbers of Garbers Associates Legal Practitioners, the Police have forwarded the docket to the Attorney General’s office for a decision on whether to prosecute them.The Chairman of the disciplinary hearing, George Kamseb, blamed a chaotic bookkeeping system for the three employees being “wrongly accused of embezzling council funds”.Former Village Secretary Ronald Windswaai’s failure to manage the council’s administrative and financial affairs in an organised manner was also to blame, Kamseb said.The Bethanie Village Council suspended Windswaai after he failed to account for a payment of N$643 235,35 that he had authorised.Windswaai was also accused of forging the signature of clerk Marenda Boois to make two payments for subsistence and travel allowances to the tune of N$19 028 and N$10 542,30.It is also alleged that the Secretary forged a signature on two cheques for N$29 000, misappropriated over N$1,3 million intended for the development of the village, paid close to N$11 000 for unspecified services and misled the Council into buying a vehicle that was not roadworthy.Windswaai was also accused of allegedly using around N$1,3 million to pay salaries, allowances and other “unnecessary expenses” and that he have gave himself advances, overtime and subsistence and travel allowances amounting to more than N$342 000.Windswaai did not appear before the disciplinary hearing with the other three, because he reached an out-of-court settlement with the council at a previous disciplinary hearing.It was decided that Windswaai resign, reimburse all money he had received and that the council reserved the right to charge him criminally.